Baseball With a Pair of Mid-Week Contests This Week

Bronx, N.Y. – (March 12, 2019) – The Fordham baseball team has its first two home mid-week contests of the season this week, as the Rams look to continue their winning ways at Houlihan Park. 
 
Fordham (9-6) is on a six-game winning streak, after a 4-0 mark this past weekend against Iona and Hofstra.  The Rams open this week's play against Sacred Heart at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, while hosting Wagner on Wednesday at 3:00 PM.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS/GAME COVERAGE
Tuesday: Fordham – RHP Alvin Melendez (0-0, 1.54) vs. Sacred Heart - LHP Justin Jordan (0-1, 6.00) // Live Video (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Wednesday: Fordham – RHP Brian Weissert (0-1, 19.29) vs. Wagner – RHP  McCae Allen (0-2, 15.95) // Live Video (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
SERIES HISTORY: For Fordham and Sacred Heart, this will be the tenth all-time meetings between the Rams and the Pioneers.  The teams first met in 2008, with Sacred Heart holding a 5-4 edge in the previous nine meetings.  Fordham though has won the last three contests, the last being an 8-1 win on March 19, 2017.
 
In the other mid-week match-up, Fordham and Wagner will collide for the 69^th time on Wednesday in a series that dates back to 1947.  Fordham holds a 50-18 lead in the all-time series, however it was Wagner that came away with an extra-inning victory in last year's meeting, a 10-7 win in 10 innings.  The teams have split the last eight contests with each winning four times, but prior to that the Rams had won 22 straight games against the Seahawks.
 
LAST TIME OUT (3/10): Fordham's Justin Bardwell and Jake MacKenzie each drove in two runs, while C.J. Vazquez scored three times, as the Rams capped a perfect 4-0 weekend with a 4-3 win over the Hofstra Pride at Houlihan Park on Sunday.
 
The Rams opened the scoring right away in the first inning.  C.J. Vazquez and Jake Baker drew back-to-back walk to start the frame and moved up a base on a ground out.  Vazquez then scored on a ground out by Justin Bardwell.
 
Hofstra bounced back with three runs in the second to take a 3-1 lead on a three-run home run by Vinnie Costello, his second of the season.
 
Fordham chipped away at the deficit in the third inning, making it a 3-2 ball game.  With two outs, Vazquez drew a walk and stole second.  One batter later, Jake MacKenzie singled through the left side to plate Vazquez.
 
The Rams then re-took the lead in the fifth with a pair of runs.  Vazquez once again got things started, as he was hit by a pitch.  Baker followed with a bunt single, putting runners at first and second.  MacKenzie then laced a double to left, scoring Vazquez with Baker moving to third.  Bardwell then plated Baker with a sacrifice fly to left field for a 4-3 lead.

From there, the Fordham bullpen duo of Marc Bisogno and Kyle Martin in relief of starter Cory Wall did the rest, holding Hofstra to just one hit over the final four innings.  Wall (1-0) earned his first career win, allowing three runs over five innings of work with four strikeouts.  Bisogno pitched three innings of one-hit relief with four strikeouts with Martin recording his fourth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.
 
At the plate, Vazquez was 1-for-2 with two walks and three runs scored, while MacKenzie went 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBI.  Bardwell finished 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBI. 

STANKIEWICZ NAMED A-10 PITCHER OF THE WEEK (3/12): The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its weekly baseball awards on Tuesday, March 12th, with Fordham pitcher John Stankiewicz (Cherry, Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) being named the conference's Pitcher of the Week.  This is Stankiewicz's first career weekly honor and the first for the Rams this season.
 
Stankiewicz earned the weekly honor following his performance on Saturday against Iona in a 5-1 win.  He cruised through seven innings to earn the victory, tying a career-high.  He allowed only one run on five hits with seven strikeouts in the game against the Gaels.  He is currently tied for the Atlantic 10 lead in wins (3) and strikeouts (25) this season
 
MEN OF STEAL: After leading the nation with a school record 169 stolen bases last season, Fordham has picked up right where they left off in 2019.  Through the first 15 games, the Rams have already racked up 44 stolen bases, which is currently fourth in the country.  Jake MacKenzie leads the Rams with 12 swipes thus far, which is fifth in the nation, with Alvin Melendez right behind him with eight.  In all, 13 different Rams have a stolen base this season. 
 
WHO'S NEXT: Following these two home games, the Fordham baseball team is back on the road in Maryland at the Towson Round Robin Weekend.  The Rams will face Towson on Friday, March 15^th and Sunday, March 17^th, while taking on Cornell on Saturday, March 16^th.